Under the Night Sky
A petite figure suddenly appeared in the dark.
She was dressed in a gray standard-issue flak jacket, her face hidden behind a cat-shaped mask, with only a pair of bright green eyes visible.
Her reddish-brown hair swayed gently in the wind. Standing at about 1.23 ters tall, she was clearly just a little girl.
"This is human blood. Looks like we're on the right track," she muttered.
She scanned the area, soon spotting bloodstains on a leaf. Reaching out, she pinched the dried blood between her fingers.
"Terumi i, what's the situation?"
Two figures landed behind her.
They wore the sa outfit and masks, but these two were adults, towering over her.
"Senior Cod, please use my codena during missions," Terumi i replied sternly.
"Oh, co on. Such an uptight junior," Cod said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"Let's move."
Terumi i glanced at him and said, "The sooner we capture him, the better."
"Don't worry. He won't escape," said Scallop, the other adult ninja.
"That's right. He's just a re Chunin," Cod agreed with a nod before suggesting, "But we've been chasing him all day. How about we rest for the night and continue tomorrow?"
"This is my first mission from Elder Genji. I cannot afford any mistakes," Terumi i said, leaping into the night.
"Let's go," Cod muttered with a sigh before following her.
Scallop trailed close behind.
---
Inside the Tent
Hanekawa lay beside Tsunade.
In the darkness, he could hear the sounds of insects and birds outside, along with her steady breathing.
"It's your first ti on a mission. How does it feel?" Tsunade asked, turning to look at him.
"It's great," Hanekawa replied after a brief pause. "Especially you, sensei. I've never seen you this serious before."
"What's that supposed to an? Are you saying I'm not serious normally?" Tsunade huffed, lifting her hand to flick his forehead.
"What do you think?" Hanekawa shot back with a smirk.
"I am serious!" Tsunade protested, though her tone wavered slightly.
In the darkness, her guilty expression was hidden from sight.
"..."
Hanekawa fell silent.
He thought he had a thick skin, but clearly, Tsunade was on another level.
"Tomorrow, we'll enter the Land of Water. You need to be extra cautious," Tsunade said, changing the subject. "Do you know what Hidden Mist Village is also called?"
"What?" Hanekawa asked, following her lead.
"The Village of the Bloody Mist," Tsunade said in a grave tone. "The Hidden Mist has always enforced a cruel and oppressive policy, particularly targeting ninja with kekkei genkai."
In his past life, Hanekawa had assud the Bloody Mist era was a result of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura being controlled by Uchiha Obito. But that wasn't entirely accurate.
The oppressive policies had already existed during the Third Mizukage's reign. Obito rely escalated them.
"Not long ago, sothing major happened in the Hidden Mist," Tsunade continued. "A student nad Zabuza Momochi killed all his classmates during their graduation exam."
Hanekawa's heart stirred.
Zabuza Momochi, in the original series, was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist's second generation.
After failing to assassinate Yagura, he beca a rogue ninja. While working for a rchant nad Gato, he encountered Kakashi Hatake's Team 7 and ultimately died at their hands.
By his side was a young companion nad Haku, who excelled in ice-release techniques and had a penchant for wearing feminine clothing.
"Such slaughter is common in the Hidden Mist," Tsunade said, reaching out to pat his head. "You must be extrely careful."
"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa replied with a nod.
"Get so sleep. We need to wake up early tomorrow," Tsunade said, withdrawing her hand and closing her eyes.
Soon, her breathing beca slow and steady.
---
Morning
The warm sunlight filtered through the trees, casting its glow on the tent.
Hanekawa opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Tsunade's outline, rising and falling gently with her breaths.
Only then did he realize that, at so point during the night, he and Tsunade had ended up leaning against each other.
"Sensei."
Hanekawa sat up, unzipping his sleeping bag.
"Any activity last night?"
Tsunade quickly woke up.
Though she loved sleeping in, during missions, she was every bit the professional ninja.
"The traps I set didn't go off," Hanekawa said as he stepped outside the tent to check.
"That's good," Tsunade replied with a yawn.
She packed up her sleeping bag, stretched lazily outside the tent, and said, "Take out the map."
Hanekawa unfolded the map and placed it in front of her.
"This is the rendezvous point," Tsunade said, pointing to a spot on the map. "morize the route. You'll be the one eting our contact."
"And what about you?" Hanekawa asked, startled.
"I'll be watching from a distance," Tsunade said calmly. "I'll only step in if you face an enemy you can't defeat."
"I understand."
Hanekawa felt a chill of pressure run through him.
Though he had so advantages, this was his first mission involving combat.
"Here, take this."
Tsunade handed him a Konoha headband. "Wear this, so our contact will trust you."
Hanekawa reached for it, but Tsunade moved behind him and tied the headband onto his forehead herself.
"Stay safe," she said with a complicated expression.
The last person she had personally fitted with a headband had been Nawaki.
"I will," Hanekawa said, nodding lightly.
The two ate breakfast, dismantled the tent, and took a boat to the Land of Water.
After they disembarked, Tsunade gave him a brief farewell and disappeared.
Hanekawa took a deep breath, activating his enhanced vision ability.
Since he hadn't learned sensory ninjutsu, his long-range vision beca indispensable.
Confirming his bearings, he headed toward the rendezvous point.
---
At the Rendezvous Point
Hanekawa soon arrived at a small forest.
Their eting spot was at the northernmost tree, where the intelligence agent from the Hidden Leaf would hide in the branches.
Rather than showing himself imdiately, Hanekawa stood at a distance, scanning the area with his enhanced vision.
He watched for a while and frowned—there was no one in the tree.
Could sothing have gone wrong?
After thinking for a mont, he decided to remain hidden and continued to wait.
Footsteps Approaching
After so ti, Hanekawa suddenly turned his head.
He heard heavy footsteps.
Through his enhanced vision, he saw a young man stagger into view, injured and looking utterly battered.
Behind him followed a petite figure.
"A Hidden Mist Anbu?" Hanekawa instinctively grasped the hilt of his katana.
The young man was clearly the Leaf intelligence agent. If he died, the mission would fail.
Hanekawa had to save him.
But there was sothing odd about the Hidden Mist Anbu.
So young, yet already an Anbu? She was undoubtedly a prodigy.
So... who was protecting her?
Hanekawa released his grip on his katana and ford hand seals.
"Clone Jutsu!"
A duplicate of Hanekawa appeared at his side.
He fixed his gaze on the Anbu. Just as she was about to reach the injured young man, he flung four kunai toward her.
Without waiting to see the result, he bolted.
"Who's there?"
Terumi i's voice rang out as she quickly retreated, dodging the incoming kunai.
"Watch out!" Cod's voice followed.
Terumi i steadied herself, noticing that one of the kunai was rigged with an explosive tag.
Boom!
The tag detonated.
"Did it work?" Hanekawa glanced back through his enhanced vision, only to shake his head.
A water wall had risen in front of Terumi i, absorbing the explosion.
It wasn't a complete failure, though—Cod had intervened to protect her.
anwhile, Scallop traced the direction of the kunai and spotted Hanekawa's clone.
While the clone was of no use in a direct fight, Hanekawa now had a clear sense of their numbers.
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